Hannah Cowley (1743-1809)

Portrait of Hannah Cowley, etching and engraving by George Murray, after Richard Cosway.

Born Hannah Parkhouse, she married Thomas Cowley and the couple subsequently moved to London. Her major plays were: The Runaway, 1776; Who’s the Dupe?, 1779; Albina, 1779; The Belle’s Stratagem, 1780; and A Bold Stroke for a Husband, 1783. Although the works were produced frequently during her lifetime, they did not enjoy wide popularity after the nineteenth century.